Thursday, May 31, 2012

I don't know what the Agonis Club is, but they had an awards banquet in Kettering, OH, and the guest speaker was Brady Hoke. Like he often does, Coach Hoke said some funny things while talking about recruiting within the Big Ten, Roy Roundtree's jersey number, and a few other topics.

Jaylan Grandison is a 6'4'', 190 pound 2014 wide receiver out of Montreal (Canada). He recently spoke with Tom VanHaaren after a 7-on-7 tournament in Auburn Hills, MI, about his game, his cast and his visit to Michigan.

Weaknesses: Not a whole lot of wiggle . . . Lacks ability to create plays in small spaces . . . Lacks strength to break tackles and block . . . Needs to improve blocking technique, as many of his blocks could easily be holding penalties . . . Doesn't show much leaping ability or the judgment to catch jump balls

Projection: Split end or slot receiver. A typical spread offense would likely use Allen at slot receiver, but Michigan's emphasis on the run suggests that a mediocre blocker like Allen would best be used out wide. He has good straight line speed, but he can be corralled and tackled in tight spaces. Added strength would be a huge plus for him if he can maintain his speed, because breaking one tackle could set him off to the races in single coverage. Allen could also help out in the kickoff return game, although he likely lacks the lateral agility needed to return punts.

I should be talking with incoming defensive lineman Chris Wormley from Toledo, OH, in the next day or two. If you have any questions for him, leave them in the comments section, and I'll address them in the interview.

Defensive lineman Tom Strobel was indoctrinated into Ohio State culture from childhood, received an Ohio State scholarship offer, and even admitted to favoring the Buckeyes in the early stages of his recruitment. Aside from being raised in Ohio and identified as one of the top prospects in the nation, Tom graduated with a 3.8 GPA, maintains a focus on academics, and talks about a strong commitment to his team and "doing things the right way."

In short, he's just the kind of recruit that Brady Hoke and the coaches love to reel in.

Tom was recently nice enough to volunteer a few minutes of his time to update Michigan fans on several topics and answer a couple reader questions.

Playing 5-tech, playing early: "As far as right now, the plan is that I'm going to play the 5-technique - not necessarily starting but just getting in the rotation. That's really what I'm looking to do. . . . The plan is to not redshirt me. If they chose to, then I'd be more than willing to take it, but I'm ready to play whenever they need me."

Height and weight, greasy food: "I'm 6'6'' and 255/260 [lbs.], but I'll definitely be putting on weight. In the off-season I dropped weight because I started to get a little bit fat, so I'm putting on weight the right way now. . . As long as I can still move, I'll get as big as I can. I've got so much room to put on weight - I'll get bigger right off the bat. I'm nowhere near my full potential. . . . I try not to eat any greasy or fast food because that just destroys me. I can tell the difference when I don't eat something right; I feel it in my workouts. I know my body that well now."

Studying with Matt Godin: "I'm looking to go into business and finance. My ultimate goal would be to get into the business school. That's difficult to do, but I'll buckle down and see if I can get in there because that will be better for my future and help me get a job, hopefully after I go to the NFL. But I've been working so hard. My parents have pushed me my whole life to do well in academics. . . . My roommate Matt Godin - who will also be doing business with me - we'll be working hard together."

Respect your enemy: "There are just a lot of Ohio State fans [in Mentor, Ohio]. They're just everywhere. You get the closet Michigan fan every once in a while who'll say, 'I'm so excited for you to go [to Michigan],' and then they walk away. . . . So I've adjusted, and my family's adjusted because we grew up Ohio State fans. . . . I think Ohio State is a great place, a great program, and they've done some awesome things, so all respect to them. But aside from that, when they were recruiting me, the coaches would be around, but it didn't seem like they were truly 100% focused on you. And that's what I look for, so it was like, 'Do you really want me that bad? Obviously you don't.' They stopped by and talked to me and gave me their little tour, but I didn't get that feeling from them or from the coaches that I actually had a future with the team, and they wanted me to do things with them. They didn't really give me that push, so I didn't really like that about them. And also, their academics are decent, but when it came to Michigan - I mean, hell, look at their reputation as being the Ivy League school of the Big Ten. And the coaches at Michigan were so welcoming and helped me. At first, I was like, 'Is this too good to be true? Can these guys really be this nice?' And they really are. And then at Ohio State, who knows where I'd be playing there. They wanted to move me down to defensive tackle or something. . . . It just wasn't very clear. It was an uncertain future. And that was before Tressel got booted. I had no idea about that situation before I committed [to Michigan], whatsoever."

A singer and thespian: "I love to sing. I sing whenever I can. . . . I was in choir in ninth grade, and I was in a musical this year. They were begging me for years to do some sort of play or musical with the school. So I did the musical the Titanic this year, and I won the lead role.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2013
Tampa (FL) Spoto athlete Eric Moate was offered by Michigan. Moate is a very productive high school running back (111 carries, 1224 yards, 14 touchdowns), but at 5'11" and 170 lbs., Michigan probably prefers him for the cornerback position. He's a very quiet recruit and doesn't talk much to the media. Iowa, Purdue, South Florida, West Virginia, and others have also extended offers.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Charlotte (NC) Christian tight end Jeb Blazevich received a Michigan offer. Blazevich is a 6'5", 240 lb. tight end who had 32 catches for 513 yards and 6 touchdowns as a sophomore. He already holds offers from Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others. (Highlights here.)

Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake offensive tackle Mason Cole was offered by Michigan. He's 6'5", 267 lbs. and has offers from Florida State, Ohio State, and South Carolina, among others. Most of his interest seems to lie in the south, so I wouldn't get my hopes up for him.

St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville linebacker Michael Ferns was offered by Michigan. He's 6'3", 235 lbs. and has been offered by Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford, and several others. As a sophomore in 2011, Ferns had 130 tackles. He also plays tight end and could play there in college.

Wiley (TX) Wiley safety T'Kevian Rockwell received a Michigan offer. The 6'1", 190 lb. defensive back already has offers from Nebraska and Virginia.

OFF THE BOARD
Ashburn (VA) Stone Bridge defensive end Jonathan Allen committed to Alabama. I did a scouting report on him a few months ago, and I wasn't particularly impressed with what I saw.

Wayne (NJ) Wayne Hills quarterback Kevin Olsen committed to Miami. I stopped paying much attention to Olsen a long time ago since Michigan has Shane Morris in the fold, but he does look like a capable quarterback. If you look at the list of the top quarterbacks in the country for 2013, the vast majority of them have already committed somewhere. That often seems to be the case, since once a quarterback - frequently the leader of a team - gets on board, he can start recruiting other guys.

Ashburn (VA) Briar Woods linebacker Matt Rolin committed to South Carolina. Rolin never strongly considered Michigan, and the Wolverines are supposedly done with linebacker recruiting, anyway, so it's not a significant loss.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

The Big Ten Blog's Brian Bennett writes about the top ten players in the Big Ten. It's no surprise that Wisconsin running back Montee Ball is #1 on the list, but is Rex Burkhead really better than Denard Robinson? I feel like Seth Meyers, but really?

A 7-on-7 setting is not the best opportunity for him to show off his skills. First of all, he plays running back, a position that's usually just used for checkdown purposes in 7-on-7. Hermitage was running a lot of plays out of the Pistol formation, which means Green was aligned behind the shotgun quarterback. They must be planning to use the Pistol this season because they were incorporating play action, even though you can't run the ball in 7-on-7. On most plays Green would just sit and "block" at the line of scrimmage, so he wasn't targeted very often. As far as I saw, Green didn't play a single down of defense.

Green is not very adept at catching the ball. He dropped three passes that I saw, all of which were in the end zone - a flare, an out, and a wheel. He fought the ball all the way in each time, too. The balls were pretty well placed for him to catch, and he just bobbled them and eventually dropped them. It wasn't a case of him letting them slip through his hands or turning his head upfield to run before he caught the ball; he just looked very clumsy.

He did, however, catch a couple flare routes later in the day. One he caught just in front of a linebacker and was touched down after a couple yards. On another he caught the ball with some room to run, and I can tell you that nobody would have wanted to jump in front of him once he got going. It's clear that once he gets his 215 lbs. going upfield, he's going to be a force.

As for his size, I wouldn't bat an eyelash if you told me he was 220 or 225. He's built like a Mack truck. I was standing next to him at one point and 5'11" or 6'0" seems pretty accurate. He's not any taller than 6'0". There were spectators around who had no clue that Green was an elite recruit, and I heard whispers saying, "Let's go watch that #27." He's quite a physical specimen.

Overall, nothing really surprised me about him. He's huge, lean, and fast in a straight line. He's not going to juke many people, and he doesn't appear to be a threat out of the backfield. He was a pretty quiet kid. He wasn't brash or cocky and genuinely seemed to fit in with his teammates.

In what appears to be Rivals' response to ESPN's "The Opening," the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge will take place in Atlanta from June 22-24. The recruiting service is inviting 80 prospects for the class of 2013 and 20 prospects for the class of 2014.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Phil Steele has released his preview for Michigan, and he ranks Michigan at #22. That seems a little low to me. I think Michigan is probably a top 15 team, but we'll see how the season sorts itself out.

The famed Phil Steele released his preseason All-Big Ten list on Wednesday, and since Steele is often pretty accurate with his predictions, I'll give them a look. You can click through to see the whole team, but here are Michigan's representatives on his four-deep list:

I don't have many qualms with Steele's selections, but if we're talking about pure talent, Fitzgerald Toussaint is superior to Rex Burkhead. Burkhead is a fine back, but he's a four-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust running back. Toussaint has speed, power, and elusiveness. The only thing holding Toussaint back is the fact that he has to share carries with quarterback Denard Robinson in a "pro style" offense that also distributes the ball to tight ends and receivers. For Nebraska, the ball is in Burkhead's hands or those of quarterback Taylor Martinez. That's the only reason that the Cornhuskers running back had more rushing yards last season. In total, Burkhead had almost 100 carries more than Toussaint (284 to 187) but only had 316 more yards (1,357 to 1,041). If Michigan had given Toussaint the ball 97 more times and he only averaged 3.26 yards a carry, then he could have equaled Burkhead's output. On the flip side, if Toussaint had maintained his 5.6 yards per carry for 97 more carries, he would have ended the year with 1,581 yards.

And that's my case for Fitzgerald Toussaint being awesome.

And I hate to be a Debbie Downer for Michigan fans, but Roy Roundtree hasn't shown that he can be one of the two best receivers in the conference; he was great as a slot receiver two years ago, but he struggled on the outside last season. I would also probably take Darqueze Dennard and/or Terry Hawthorne over J.T. Floyd for the second team, but statistically, Floyd isn't a bad choice.

Weaknesses: Not a true burner . . . Does not have a second gear to pull away from high level defensive backs . . . Carries ball a little loosely at times . . . Does not consistently keep ball in his outside hand, so there is a bit of a concern about ball security

Projection: Running back. Wilkins looks a little like a poor man's Ty Isaac, which is interesting because Isaac was the #1 target on Michigan's board. Wilkins's feet aren't quite as quick and he doesn't have the same top-end speed, but they're similar runners with good size and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Wilkins could develop into a solid starter at a Big Ten-level school, but he doesn't appear to have an extremely high ceiling.

HIGH SCHOOL
Grady attended East Grand Rapids High School in Grand Rapids, MI. He played basketball and football, but he was recruited mainly for his exploits on the hardcourt.

COLLEGE
Grady played basketball at Michigan for his first couple years on campus, but he struggled with his shot and eventually gave up basketball for a chance to walk on to the Michigan football team as a slot receiver for Rich Rodriguez. As a redshirt sophomore, he caught 10 passes for 102 yards and 1 touchdown in 2009 as a backup to Martavious Odoms. He enjoyed his most productive season as a redshirt junior in 2010, starting one game and catching 17 passes for 211 yards. His contributions dipped with the return of a pro-style offense in 2011, catching just 5 passes for 75 yards.

SUMMARY
Grady was a valuable member of the football team, despite not making a huge impact statistically. He struggled catching the football early on in his career, but became a reliable target as his football career continued. He was always slight (5'10", 177 lbs.) but had good speed that allowed him to be somewhat productive running the ball and catching short passes.

PROJECTION
Grady participated in Michigan's pro day prior to the 2012 NFL Draft and reportedly ran a 4.35 forty, but considering his size and lack of production, his football career is likely over unless he wants to play in Canada or in the Arena Football League.

ADDED TO THE BOARD (2013, 2014)
Scottsdale (AZ) Desert Mountain wide receiver Mark Andrews, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. Andrews is a 6'6", 225 lb. wideout who could grow into a tight end. He also has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, and UCLA. As a sophomore in 2011, Andrews had 58 catches for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns. His quarterback is Kyle Allen, a fellow sophomore who has already been offered by North Carolina and may be a Michigan target down the road.

Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary's linebacker Dante Booker, Jr., a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. Booker is 6'3", 210 lbs. and has offers from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, and Penn State. As a sophomore in 2011, he had 157 tackles, 11 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries. He visited Michigan this past weekend.

Fort Worth (TX) All Saints Episcopal offensive tackle Demetrius Knox, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. He is a 6'5", 300-pounder with offers from Alabama, Baylor, Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and UCLA. While listed as a tackle, he looks more like a guard to me. He grew up in Ohio as a fan of the Buckeyes, and he's also expecting a Texas offer in the near future. (Highlights here.)

Monroe (LA) Ouachita Parish offensive tackle Cameron Robinson, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'5", 320 lb. lineman with offers from Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU, among others. Don't get too attached, though - he seems destined for the home state Tigers.

Sugar Land (TX) Dulles cornerback Maurice Smith was offered by Michigan. Smith is a 5'11", 179 lb. corner with offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and many others. He attends the same high school as former Michigan cornerback Troy Woolfolk and linebacker Brandon Herron. (Highlights here.)

Houston (TX) Westfield defensive tackle Hardreck Walker was offered by Michigan. Walker is a 6'2", 280-pounder with offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, along with several others.

Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne cornerback Nick Watkins, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. He's a 6'1", 180 lb. prospect who already has offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and a few others. As a sophomore in 2011, he had 45 tackles, 6 pass breakups, and 5 interceptions.

OFF THE BOARD
Stockton (CA) Lincoln running back Justin Davis committed to USC. Davis was the second 5-star/high 4-star running back to commit to USC with a few days, on the heels of Ty Isaac's commitment (below).

Joliet (IL) Joliet Catholic running back Ty Isaac committed to USC. Isaac is the guy that many Michigan fans were hoping would be the jewel of the running back class. I did a scouting report on him back in March and I was impressed with what I saw, but like I've said before, the guys Michigan has recruited on the offensive line are going to make Michigan's running game very good, regardless of who's running the ball.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Brian Bennett at ESPN writes about Taylor Lewan's leadership and growth. It's been fun to watch Lewan over the past few years, and it's a little sad to realize that maybe this is his last year at Michigan.

Akron (OH) St. Vincent-St. Mary's LB Dante Booker, Jr.: Booker received a Michigan offer this past week. Ohio State also recently offered, and Buckeyes cornerback Doran Grant came from St. Vincent-St. Mary's. Booker's father (Dante, in case you were wondering) played defensive line for the Auburn Tigers. Many assume that Auburn and Ohio State are the two leaders for the younger Booker's services, but we'll see if Michigan's coaches can create some momentum with the 6'3", 210 lb. linebacker. He had 157 tackles and 11 sacks as a sophomore last season.

Washington (OH) Massilon OT Nathan Devers: Devers is a 2014 prospect who does not yet have an offer.Seffner (FL) Armwood CB Leon McQuay III: McQuay is a 6'2", 185 lb. defensive back with offers from just about everywhere. While that size would preclude most players from playing cornerback at the next level, that's the position for which Michigan is recruiting him. It is assumed by most that McQuay will end up staying in SEC country, and his recent fellow Armwood grads haven't ventured farther north than North Carolina or Tennessee except a couple MAC-level recruits who headed to Akron, Penn, Toledo, or Western Michigan. The big-time recruits who have a choice generally seem to like the warmer weather.

Sturgis (MI) Sturgis QB Chance Stewart: The 6'6", 205 lb. Stewart only has one offer so far (from Western Michigan), but more are surely on the way. Whether one comes from Michigan or not might be a different question. He threw for 1,361 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions as a sophomore in 2011.

Strengths: Long, lean kid with good wingspan . . . Not a true blazer, but very good speed . . . Shows good hip flexibility . . . Hard to get out of position . . . Good awareness of route combinations and what's going on in the backfield . . . Willing run supporter . . . Goes low on tackles because of size, but wraps up and hangs on . . . Good open field tackler . . . Maintains good position when ball is in the air . . . Looks to be working for turnovers, not just to bat ball down . . . At times tries to tip interceptions to himself

Weaknesses: No glaring weaknesses . . . Needs to bulk up a little bit, like most high school corners . . . Needs to work a little on footwork . . . Not the most elusive or dangerous runner with ball in his hands, but that's nitpicking

Projection: Cornerback. Luke is a very smooth corner who does most things very well. He's not the most explosive player you'll find, but more of a glider. He doesn't get out of position and always seems to know what's going on around the field, and I think that awareness makes him a very safe bet to have a good career. He's a high ceiling, high floor type of player.

Reminds me of: Donovan Warren but more athletic. I'm having a hard time coming up with a comparison from recent Michigan history, because Warren was a smooth cover man but never wowed anyone with his speed. A lot of other good Michigan corners in recent years were more physical (Ty Law, Marlin Jackson) and not as smooth. Luke actually reminds me a little of Johnny Sears in the way he moves, but Sears was a moron both on and off the field.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Former Michigan recruit Demar Dorsey has taken a winding road, but perhaps he'll find some success in Hawaii. Hailing from Lauderdale Lakes (FL) Boyd Anderson, he signed with Michigan, was not admitted to the school, played for Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, and will now head to Hawaii to play for the Rainbow Warriors.

Yesterday's announcement by Joliet (IL) Joliet Catholic running back Ty Isaac that he would be playing football at USC stunned some Michigan fans. With his recent behavior, it was not surprising that heading to Southern California would be his choice. Isaac started to withdraw from publicity a little bit, and it seems that when kids start to weary of the process, that's often because they're headed somewhere that won't necessarily be well received publicly. A kid from Illinois spurning Notre Dame, Michigan, and other midwest schools is going to get a little blowback. This doesn't necessarily mean that Isaac's recruitment is over, because schools will probably continue to make a push for him. But for now, Michigan fans should operate under the assumption that he's permanently off the board.

Isaac was clearly the top running back prospect on the coaches' board, so where do the Wolverines go from here? Well, they already have Warren (OH) Howland running back DeVeon Smith and Novi (MI) Catholic Central jumbo running back Wyatt Shallman. Both are solidly considered 4-star recruits, they can both play a role at Michigan, and both seem to be strongly committed to Michigan. What Michigan seems to lack in those two guys is a gamebreaker. They're both grind-it-out types who can break tackles or score near the goal line, but neither appears to have the speed and agility to go 80 yards on any given play.

Wilkins, on the other hand, looks a lot more like Isaac. The Tennessee product has more lateral agility than Green, can catch the ball out of the backfield much like Isaac, and has the ability to break the big one. While I don't know that I can justify saying that Wilkins is faster than someone who claims a 4.37 forty, comparing junior film of Wilkins and Green makes the former look like the big-play guy that Michigan should be seeking.

Outside of those two guys, who both have offers, the pickings get a little slim. There aren't a great deal of options in the midwest, and reaching outside of the midwest is always a tough pull. Chelsea (MI) Chelsea tailback Berkley Edwards is a Michigan legacy and the younger brother of wide receiver Braylon Edwards, but he's small and probably not the feature back that Michigan really wants. Otherwise, he would have been offered already. Pickerington (OH) North's Godwin Igwebuike is the teammate of 2013 tight end commit Jake Butt and has an offer from Wisconsin, but again, he's not a threat to take it the distance. The only other big-time running back prospect in the Big Ten imprint appears to be Philadelphia (PA) Imhotep's David Williams, who has offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State. Williams doesn't have a Michigan offer and it could very well be too late to get a foot in the door.

It seems most likely at this point that Michigan will once again go without an elite level running back in the 2013 class, which continues the trend that arguably started in the 2010 class. Fitzgerald Toussaint, a 2009 recruit, was somewhat highly touted but not really a national recruit. One might even make the argument that you would have to go all the way back to 2008, when Michigan snagged the highly sought after Sam McGuffie, to find an elite running back in a Michigan recruiting class.

35. Budda Baker - ATH - Washington: No offer or strong connection here, but Baker plays for the same high school as former Michigan lineman (and current San Diego Charger) Stephen Schilling.

41. Clifton Garrett - LB - Illinois: No offer yet, but Garrett's highlight film is making the rounds and wowing some observers. Considering how heavily Michigan has littered Illinois with offers during the 2013 cycle, I would not be surprised at all if Garrett gets offered in the near future.

73. Davonte James - LB - Ohio: No offer yet, but a high profile prospect from the state of Ohio is sure to get a look by the coaching staff.

78. Mark Andrews - WR - Arizona: Offered by Michigan yesterday.

83. Drake Harris - WR - Michigan: Offered by Michigan already. He has been offered by the basketball program, too, and is a high profile prospect on the hardcourt. Some think he's more likely to head to Michigan State.

85. Derek Kief - WR - Ohio: No offer yet, but receiver might yet again be a big need in 2014, depending on how the 2013 class shakes out.

91. DeShone Kizer - ATH - Ohio: No offer yet. He plays quarterback but could also project to wide receiver or defensive back.

94. Michael Ferns - LB - Ohio: No offer yet, but likely to get a look despite living in the Worst State Ever.

96. Dareian Watkins - ATH - Ohio: No offer yet. Much like Kizer, he could project to quarterback, wide receiver, or defensive back.

Tom was indoctrinated into Ohio State culture at a young age and admits to having a bias toward the Buckeyes in the early stages of his recruitment. Playing for the Mentor, OH Cardinals, Strobel developed into a top-flight recruit and garnered over twenty D-1 offers. He also excelled in the classroom, earning academic honors and a 3.9 GPA.

In short, he's just the kind of recruit that Brady Hoke and the coaches love to reel in.

I should be talking with Tom in the near future, so leave a question for him in the comments section if you have any Tom Strobel related catching up to do.

Always a West Side Cub and now a Michigan Wolverine, James took a break from working out, hanging out and training to give us his thoughts on several topics and answer a few reader questions.

Living in Ann Arbor: "I think it's a great place. It's not too far from my family, but there's enough distance to where they're not going to be in my face every day, so I'll take a break from that. But it's a nice place, and I like the people there. And also, everything's real close. You've got the mall there, and nothing is too far out of reach."

Choosing Michigan: "The month before [I committed to Michigan] I visited Penn State, and I just wasn't getting the same vibe from there. It was, of course, before everything came out. But it just wasn't the same for me; coaches didn't even know who I was. One of the things my dad told me when I was choosing a school was that I needed to find a good reason for choosing that school over Michigan. Like, what's the reason for skipping over Michigan? And playing for the state that you live in and [the team] that you've grown up watching your whole life - it's a big deal. I'm a family man, and my family's all Michigan fans. So to make them proud is something I really want to cherish and really want to do."

Getting on the field: "I'm not the type of player who can just sit out and wait my turn. I want to compete, and I'm looking to do that with anybody, and I really want to get on the field. Coach Mattison said that the opportunity will be there; it's just up to me to attack that opportunity and take full advantage of it. My mindset is that I'm going in, and I'm trying to play. . . . I've been training this off-season, and I think I'm going to be very prepared to come in and make something happen this year."

Playing WILL, playing hockey*: "All I know right now is that they want to play me at the WILL, so I can be out in space a little bit and be able to come up in the box also. So it's something that I'm comfortable doing. . . . I really like the position. You don't get as many big guards running at you, so that's kind of good. . . . I played hockey for a long time, and just being in that fast-paced environment helped, being able to see things. Hockey is really fast; you have to be able to move, and I think that really translates well to the football field.

Staying quick: "I'm 6'1'' and 225 lbs. right now, and a lot of criticism I get is because of my size. But I always like to throw this out there: my favorite two linebackers, Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis, are only 6'1". I guess this sport has come down to where it's all about size, but I feel that at the end of the day, that doesn't matter. It's how well you play and perform. . . . I'm pretty sure they [the coaches] don't want me to get too much bigger because then you start taking away from what I'm good at, and that's being quick and finding the ball as fast as possible. So I guess I'd say 230 or 235 pounds. But there's no telling where they want me to be. I haven't really heard. I feel as if I can be effective at 230 lbs., just 230 solid. I think I can be as effective as possible at that weight. Just like in the Draft, I believe it was Lavonte David from Nebraska. He was only 6'1'' 233lbs. And I think we've got some of the same playing style."

Mattison motivation: "The first time I met Coach Mattison, he brought me to his office, and we were watching Ravens film. He was just pointing out the position that I'm going to be playing. So just watching film on that, he had me sold right there. He coached Ray Lewis, and he's one of my favorite players of all time; I really look up to that guy. . . . What [Coach Mattison] tells me to do to be prepared - well, really not too much. He'll just come up to me every time he sees me and say little things like, "I hope you're the player I really think you are." He just gives me little hits like that. . . . Oh yeah, he's a funny guy. Also, I went to his office, and he had his iPod, so I was like, "what kind of songs are you playing on there?" so he turned it on and there was all types of stuff: Brianna, Lady Gaga, all types of stuff like that. He was like, "Yeah, my daughter put all that stuff on there."

Meaningful ambitions: "I have a really good plan for my future. One of my dreams is to have a program to train kids from about [age] 12 to 17, but there would also be mentoring, too. And it's more out of Detroit because there are a lot of kids out of Detroit who are very talented but never make it because they take the wrong paths. So being able to reach their lives while they're young, reach out to that kid early and show him the path that he can take to make it - maybe you can change some lives."

ADDED TO THE BOARD (2013, 2014)
Seffner (FL) Armwood wide receiver Alvin Bailey was offered by Michigan. The 5'11", 170-pounder has also been targeted by Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State, and South Carolina, among others. He plays quarterback for Armwood, passing for 872 yards and 12 touchdowns, rushing for 872 yards and 6 touchdowns, and catching 22 passes for 404 yards and 3 touchdowns. Bailey is the teammate of fellow Michigan target Leon McQuay III, a safety.

Piscataway (NJ) Piscataway cornerback Nadir Barnwell was offered by Michigan. The 5'11", 180-pounder is a lefty quarterback for his high school, but his quarterback days are likely over when he hits college. He also holds offers from Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Rutgers, along with many others. During his junior season, he passed for 1,364 yards, ran for 452, and made 40 tackles to go with 3 interceptions. (Highlights here.)

Brooklyn (NY) Poly Prep offensive tackle Jay Hayes, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan last week. The 6'5", 270 lb. athlete, who could also play defensive line, holds offers from Connecticut, Rutgers, and UCLA, too.

Westwood (MA) Xaverian Brothers defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, Jr. was offered by Michigan. Hurst is a 6'2", 285 lb. lineman with offers from Nebraska, Ohio State, and many others. He is the son of former New England Patriots cornerback Maurice Hurst, who had 27 career interceptions from 1989 to 1995. As a junior in 2011, "Junior" had 65 tackles and 11 sacks.

Mansfield (TX) Timberview safety Edward Paris, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. He stands 6'2" and 188 lbs. and claims a 4.4 forty. Teams like Clemson, LSU, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma are already after him. He carried the ball 12 times for 179 yards (14.9 yards per carry) and 3 touchdowns, but he also broke up 20 passes and notched 8 interceptions. That's pretty good production for a sophomore defensive back. (Highlights here.)

Tuscaloosa (AL) Northridge athlete Bo Scarbrough, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. The 6'1", 215 lb. is projected by some sites as a running back and as a linebacker by others, but after I watched his highlights, he looks like a running back to me. He also doesn't look like he's 215 lbs. unless he's put on some serious weight since football season, but oh well - he's only a sophomore. Scarbrough already holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, UCLA, and a few others, but since he's in the Crimson Tide's back yard, I won't hold my breath that he'll head to Michigan.

Chandler (AZ) Williams Field wide receiver Dionte Sykes, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. He's currently about 6'1" and 175 lbs. As a freshman in 2010, he was timed at 4.69 seconds in the forty and had a 245 lb. bench press, both of which are very impressive numbers for a freshman (and maybe too good to believe). He also has offers from Arizona State, Colorado, and UCLA. (Highlights here.)

Saluda (SC) Saluda defensive tackle Dexter Wideman, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan. He's 6'3", 276 lbs. as a sophomore and also holds offers from Clemson and South Carolina. As a sophomore in 2011, he had 61 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.